Birthday Surprise
by thedoctorlek
Summary: In Pete's World, it's Rose's birthday, and the Doctor's got a brilliant birthday present for her. Rated T for snogging, oneshot.


_This was written as a birthday fic for outcastfromgallifrey (on tumblr). Enjoy!_

* * *

"Doctor! Where are we going?"

Rose tugs at the blindfold that is wrapped around her head. Clicking his tongue, the Doctor swats her hands away. "None of that, birthday girl! It's a surprise, _remember_? And you've got to _be _surprised– it's kinda the point."

Even though her face is covered, the Doctor can tell that she's rolling her eyes. "Just tell me where we're goin'?" she asks hopefully.

"Nope!" he exclaims, popping the P. "That'd give it away, wouldn't it?"

She sighs, then feels alongside the hallway they're walking down. They started out in their bedroom, and since then, the Doctor has twirled her around several times, so she isn't able to tell where they're headed. But from the texture of this wall…

"This is the hallway leading downstairs, isn't it?"

"Oi!" he exclaims. "None of that, Miss Tyler. You're not gonna even _try _to guess where we are. You'll figure it out, you're too smart."

"Fine, fine," she murmurs, wishing there was some way that she could _make_ him tell. Then she grins wickedly– there _is_, possibly, a method. A method that is _quite_ fun to put into practice.

She's got a hand on the wall, still, and the other's entwined with the Doctor's fingers. She lets herself drop his hand, carefully guiding her fingers up his arm, to his neck, finding the tie that he still likes to wear on special occasions. She supposes that this _is_ a special occasion– their first birthday together in this parallel world– but she almost prefers his human clothes to his Time Lord-like ones. They are _much_ easier to pull off, as opposed to the suit and coat and shirt that have enough buttons and fastens to hinder her eager fingers.

She tugs on the tie, loosening it significantly, and carefully, but firmly pushes him against the wall. She lets her fingers stroke the back of his neck, caressing the hairs that are there, then trails her hand back down his arm, feeling the material of the suit beneath her fingers. She moves against him, letting one of her legs slide between his. She can hear him gulp, and she comes even closer, _pressing_ onto him in a way that probably isn't helping his composure.

"You sure you don't wanna tell me?" she breathes, letting her mouth get _dangerously_ close to his own. Almost automatically, he leans forward a bit, letting his lips brush hers, and she giggles, running her hand down his body, to a rather _sensitive _area, making him produce a small _eep! _noise in the back of his throat.

Then she pulls herself away, and the Doctor gasps, missing her presence _very_ much. "Not fair!" he gasps, pouting. "You can't just… go away like that, Rose!"

"Can and will, unless you tell me where we're heading." She crosses her arms, wrinkling her nose, trying to ease the blindfold into a more comfortable position.

He growls, and she can suddenly feel his hands grasping her forearms, pushing her back against the other wall. His lips _slam_ into hers, rough and insistent, and _wonderful_. For a moment, Rose forgets where she is, and lets him kiss her, groaning as his tongue dips into her mouth and swirls around forcefully.

Then she remembers that she's_ not _letting him kiss her, not right now, not while he's keeping away information, and she squirms out of his embrace. "Enough of that, Doctor!" she says, and a giggle escapes her. "If you won't tell me, then at least take me there a little bit quicker!"

"That's what I was _trying_ to do," he grumbles. "Then you had to get all… _Rose-ish."_

She laughs. "Bit hard not to be myself," she says, and holds out her hand. He takes it, letting his thumb caress the skin between her forefinger and thumb. She squeezes his hand gently, smiling in the direction that he's in.

"Allons-y?" he asks. Then his voice takes on a sly tone. "Unless, of course, you're wanting to postpone this whole surprise thing. We _could_ go back to bed, I'm feeling a bit tired, you know." He yawns, exaggeratedly.

"Liar," she says, laughing. "And we're seeing this surprise first. Afterwards, though…" Her eyebrows raise themselves above the blindfold. "We'll make you _properly_ tired, right?"

"Right," he breathes, already breathless at such a simple statement. "Perfectly, wonderfully,_brilliantly_ right."

He practically drags her down the hallway, and she can't help but giggle. This reminds her of old times– well, sort of reminds her. She's never gone blindfolded with the Doctor, but he _has_insisted on surprising her with all sorts of things– new planets, an _especially_ beautiful constellation, a time period that's particularly exotic. She loves this feeling in her stomach– a feeling of _anticipating_ and _excitement._ To her, it's like she's on the _edge_ of something, about to fly free and meet the world. A world that's waiting especially for her.

He slows down suddenly, and Rose stumbles to a halt. "Careful, stairs," he mutters. She almost jumps, because she was_ not_ expecting his voice to be so close to her ear. Then one of his hands drops to her hip, and the other to the back of her thigh. She jerks her head in the direction she thinks he's in.

"Is there a need for this?" She _sorta kinda_ minds– the placement of his hands is making her feel a bit hot, a bit _turned on_. His light fingers dance along her, ghosting over the fabric of her trousers, and his left thumb _strokes _the skin above her waistband, dipping down, brushing the lacy material of her knickers. She makes a sound of impatience in the back of her throat.

"Oh, yes!" he suddenly exclaims, answering her question. "I've gotta guide you downstairs, don't I? This seems a nice way to do it, to me." She can tell by the tone of his voice that he's grinning foxily, and she tries not to pull him down for another snog.

Without waiting for her to answer, he begins walking forward, bending her leg for her when it's time to take a step down, tugging on her hip to balance her. She finds it a bit hard to concentrate, what with the Doctor's _hands_ and _fingers_ and _body_ pressed close to hers.

When they reach the bottom of the stairs, he insists on spinning her around again, disorienting her thoroughly. She giggles as he takes her by her shoulders and whirling her about– once, twice, three times. As soon as she has no clue which way she's facing, he pulls her along again, shouting, "Allons-y!" It really _does_ feel like old times– running, proclaiming French words loudly into the air.

Suddenly, they're outside, and Rose is _really_ confused now. She had been guessing that the Doctor had some sort of surprise party planned in their living room, or a nice dinner in the kitchen. But they're out of their grand old house– the one that Pete helped them buy– and Rose can feel the springy grass beneath her feet, and smell the flowers and dirt and trees and air in the breeze.

"_Where_ are we going?" she asks, totally mystified. The Doctor's grinning smugly, she can tell, even though she can't see him.

"You'll see," he whispers, obviously pleased that she has no clue what's going on.

He's got his hand on her hip again, and he's guiding her along at a slow measured pace. Rose wishes that he'd run again, she _desperately_ wants to know what he's got in store for her.

"You sure you can't tell me?" she asks. "You know I hate waiting…"

"Mm," he murmurs. "I hate waiting too. Hate _sitting _around, having a bunch of _anticipation_hanging in the air. But you know what? I've found that _waiting_ brings _patience_, which is a _very_good virtue to have, Rose."

She scowls. "And do _you_ know what?" she asks. "I've had to wait a long time, all those years that we were separated. And I found that patience doesn't help. In the slightest."

He presses a kiss to her forehead. "Well, the waiting's almost over. So– no need to worry!" His hand leaves her hip, entwining itself with her fingers, and he pulls her along, faster than before. She almost trips over a bed of flowers as they run, but the Doctor just scoops her up into his arms, laughing.

She lets a grin take over her face, aware of his arms that are cupping her body. She can feel his muscles beneath the fabric that's separating their skin, and she winds her arms around his neck, for balance. She knows that they probably look like fools, but it doesn't matter, not to her.

He eventually sets her down, as they reach the other side of their yard, and grasps her hand again.

"Okay," he says, his voice sounding excited. "Get ready."

He leads her through a door, and Rose sniffs. It has a faint, woody smell to it– a bit musty, a bit_old_. She reaches out a hand, and her fingers encounter a wall made of timber.

"We're in the shed out back," she says slowly, her brow furrowing. Then she gasps. "Oh my g– Doctor! Didn't you say this place was infested with rats!?"

She almost springs back into his arms, but the sound of his laughter stops her. She frowns, glaring at him. "_What?"_

"I'm sorry," he says, trying to stop his giggling. "It's just– your _face_." He starts chuckling again, and she crosses her arms. Catching her mood, he swallows his laughter, putting on a serious face.

"This place isn't infested with rats– Sorry I lied, but I had to be sure that you didn't come in here and spoil the surprise."

She glares at him. "It better be a _really_ good one, Doctor, or I _swear–_"

"No, no! It is," he assures her. "Do you– D'you wanna see, now?"

She relaxes, letting her arms rest at her sides. "Yes," she whispers. Nervousness and excitement pool inside of her.

He steps behind her, his movements deliberate. His hands ghost up her arms and to her head, his fingers tangling with the blindfold's tie. He's very close to her, and Rose can feel his breath on her neck. She shivers.

Then the blindfold falls off her face, and she's blinking, trying to adjust her eyes to this light, see this _surprise_ the Doctor has for her, and–

Oh.

_Oh._

Her mouth falls open, and she can't tear her eyes away. It's looks just how it's supposed to– old, and tall, and square, and _blue_. A lantern a top it, white words on a black background that proclaim _Police Public Call Box._ She steps forward, hesitantly, hardly daring to believe that this is _real_, that this is _happening–_

"What do you think?" His voice interrupts her thoughts, and Rose spins around, staring at the Doctor. He looks just like he used to as well– brown pinstriped suit, coat, tie– that's slightly askew, thanks to Rose– his hands in pockets, leaning back on his heels. He's got an _expression_on his face that he used to keep hidden, in the old days, but now wears publicly. One of love.

"It's _perfect_," she breathes, really meaning it. She's used the word before, so many times, but it's rarely applied to her life _truly_. Right now, though, the world is right. She wouldn't have it any other way.

She reaches out, grabbing the lapels of his suit, and pulls him down for a good, long, and_fantastic_ snog. He sort of _melts_ against her, his legs giving out slightly, and he pushes her against the TARDIS doors, trying not to fall over. It feels perfect, just right, wonderful to him too; so perfect that his world feels slightly _tippy_, like the Earth's rotations are rocking the ground on which he stands.

"Oh, mm, _Rose," _he murmurs into her mouth, and she disconnects them, but stays in his embrace. Her arms are around his waist, his are divided between her bum and hair.

"I thought…" she begins, but something distracts her– namely, the Doctor's _hair_ and _eyes_ and_grin_. She shakes her head, trying to concentrate. "I thought that you said that she'd take– I dunno– five _years_ to grow. It's only been a few months, and she's… She's _done._"

He rests his forehead against hers. "Another lie." He winces. "I'm sorry… You don't mind, do you? I just thought it'd be a brilliant birthday present. It was a job, keeping her secret… Kept on havin' to distract you, whenever you brought the TARDIS up. I thought you'd ask to see her."

"Well," she begins. "Lying's very naughty, so I may have a few _tasks_ that you'll hafta perform for me, later, as penance." The twinkle in her eye gives away that these _tasks_ might not be so bad. He grins wolfishly, and lets his lips press against hers again. "But no, I don't mind," she whispers against his mouth.

"Good," he says. "'Cos I was feeling terribly guilty. Almost told you, several times, when it was almost too much. And I tried not to come out here a whole lot– if one of us couldn't see her grow, then neither of us should. Right? Set up a video camera, though, so it's all documented." He beams at her, and she smiles back. "And I haven't been inside, not yet. I figured that we should see her console room, for the first time, together."

She trails her fingers up his rib cage, so that her hands are over his heart. His _one_ heart. The Doctor feels it pound harder, and he swallows. He loves it, when she feels him there. It reminds him that he's got forever with her, and that she's got forever with him.

"You're incredibly thoughtful. You know that, right?"

He puts on one of his arrogant grins, reminiscent of the Time Lords. "I try to be," he says pompously. "Not too hard, as it comes naturally."

She snorts, leaning forward to peck him on the nose, then wiggles out of his arms. "Allons-y?"

He grins. "Allons-y!"

He's about to shove open the doors of the TARDIS, when he realizes he's forgotten something. Rose's hand, in his. They're doing this together now, and forever.

He looks at her, taking her in. She's got on ordinary clothes– t-shirt, jeans, and her hair's in a simple ponytail. But she's _beautiful_, no matter what her appearance. For Rose, her beauty shines from the inside– it's not something he's come across often, and it's one of the many, many reasons he's so deeply, irrevocably, _intensely_ in lo–

"Doctor?"

He grabs her hand, pushes open the doors, and steps inside, Rose by his side. He gasps.

She's exactly the same. Coral columns, surrounding the console. Metal grating as the floor. The time rotor, fluctuating in rhythm to the Vortex. Wires all over the place, and the feeling of _time_in the air.

Stupid, stupid tears come to his eyes, and he blinks them back. He's _home_. He's got Rose, by his side, and his age-old spaceship surrounding him. He's _back._

"Oh, Rose," he breathes, and _beams_ at her, through his tears. She rubs her eyes, brushing away some water.

"We're home," she whispers, echoing his thoughts. She walks forward, and he goes with her, taking off his tan coat, tossing it over one of the columns. Then he runs forward, to the console. "Rose, she's the _same_. Exactly, precisely, _spot on_ the same. It's brilliant, isn't it!? I was surprised that she formed as a police box– she _should_ have a fully functioning Chameleon Circuit– but I figured that she somehow _knew_ that we preferred her this way, eh? What do you think?"

She runs her hand across the console, smiling fondly. "I think I finally understand why you used to stroke bits of the TARDIS," she giggles. He scowls, embarrassed. "She seems to know just what we wanted, and I just… I'm so happy that we're back." She looks around. "Where're we gonna go first?"

He beams at her. "Anywhere we like! New TARDIS, new universe, new new _new_ me. We've got planets to rediscover, Rose, and galaxies that we can find for the first time, and people to meet and re-meet, and nefarious aliens to stop, and _lots_ of running to do! It'll be _brilliant_."

She giggles. "Ooh, I can't decide…" She trails off, then looks around the TARDIS, perhaps for inspiration. "Oh. _I_ know."

"You do?"

"Mm-hm. First date, we had chips, yeah? Well… This is the first time we'll be traveling in this universe. So let's go out for chips."

He grins, delighted with the idea. "You, Dame Rose, are simply _marvelous."_

"And you, Sir Doctor, are absolutely _brilliant_." She grins. "It's just like old times, yeah?"

The Doctor nods, then pauses, letting a sly grin spread across his face. "Weeell. Not _just_ like old times, no…"

She frowns. "What do you mean?"

He comes closer to her, letting his voice drop, go low. It's a little trick that he's picked up over the months, when wanting to turn her on. "Well, Rose Tyler," he says, and she shivers. "In the_old_ days, I was wanting to do all _sorts _of things, but never really got the chance to."

She looks into his face, her eyes going dark. "Like what?" she asks. He moves closer to her, so that she's trapped between him and the console, and she trails one hand up his arm.

"Like _this._" He presses her back, a bit hard, taking her head in his hands and kissing her. She's against the TARDIS console, almost bent over backwards thanks to the Doctor's force, but her arms are around his neck and his hands are pulling her head forward, creating a precarious leverage between them.

He takes her bottom lip between his, _pulling_ at it with his teeth, and she snakes her beautiful tongue out, catching the roof of his mouth. He makes a noise in the back of his throat, pushing against her harder, and gravity wins. She's suddenly lying fully back on the TARDIS console, her legs wrapped around the Doctor's waist. Her fingers tangle in his hair, _pulling_, and he moves down, capturing her neck with his lips.

"Did-Didn't know you wanted to snog me like this, 'gainst the console," she pants, her legs pulling him tighter to him.

"Not just _snog_," he breathes, looking up at her. His eyes are dark, and bright, and eager.

She grins, quite foxily, and the Doctor feels his blood rush south.

"I think those chips can wait, don't you?" she asks, and he answers her with another kiss to the lips.

"Oh yes," he murmurs against her. "_Most_ definitely."


End file.
